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THE QUESTION
Is America Losing Faith?
The new American Religious Identification Survey says fewer people are calling themselves Christians or identifying with particular denominations, and more people are claiming no religion at all. Are you concerned? Is America losing its religion?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on March 18, 2009 8:55 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Faith in the Goddess is Growing
Is America losing faith? Not, apparently, faith in the Goddess, as Wicca and Paganism seem to be growing while everything else is fading.
Posted by Starhawk, on March 23, 2009 5:25 PM
"Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics"
The ARIS data do not support the notion that there has been a significant decline in the last several years in the proportion of Christians in the United States.
Posted by Thomas G. Bohlin, on March 20, 2009 9:37 AM
Losing Faith in Old Traditions
The problem with religion is that each system claims it has captured ultimate truth in its own propositional creeds and organizational structures, so that when those things fade or die great anxiety is loosed.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on March 20, 2009 8:32 AM
Losing Faith in a False Religion
True religious faith has every right to feel relieved that the civil religion we Americans call true religion is diminishing.
Posted by Gardner Calvin Taylor, on March 19, 2009 9:14 PM
"Upon This Rock..."
Are people becoming less interested in understanding their relationship to God? Or are they becoming less interested in hearing someone else tell them what their relationship to God should be?
Posted by Phil Davis, on March 19, 2009 9:36 AM
A New "Declaration of Independence" in Religion and Politics
The post-prosperity American mood is to call yourself nothing, identify yourself with no institutions political, religious, or cultural.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on March 19, 2009 9:30 AM
People Don't Lose Faith, They Shift It
We are in a time of spiritual flux, and if the churches are the losers in that shift, they might want to pay more attention to the winners, the millions of people who want the fruits of spiritual seeking with an open mind instead of closed dogma.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on March 18, 2009 4:03 PM
Americans Reject Labels, Not Faith
Saying 'no' to your parents' religion, or to all religion as currently defined, does not necessarily mean saying 'no' to faith and/or to God.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on March 18, 2009 3:51 PM
When Christian Means Intolerant
When Christian Means Intolerant, The Tolerant Reject the Label Christian.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on March 18, 2009 1:55 PM
Religion Often Too Exclusive
Religion does a good job of turning people off and away from God.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on March 18, 2009 1:21 PM
Religion "Fixed in Human Nature"
Religion will remain a part of society as long as it is relevant and as long as the human soul seeks for understanding of something bigger than itself.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on March 18, 2009 10:28 AM
Evangelicalism's Demise Greatly Exaggerated
It shows serious Bible-believing Christians increasing, both in the evangelical and Catholic traditions, while mainline liberals continue their long decline. This is a process the church has repeated every century.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on March 18, 2009 9:52 AM
Faith Can't Be Measured
The difficulty in trying to count "the church" or numbers of people according to denominational and other categories comes when we apply visible tactics to what is essentially invisible.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on March 18, 2009 8:42 AM
Secularism And Religious Iliteracy
People who describe themselves as "spiritual, but not religious" are like people who say they place great importance on reading but never go to the library, buy a book, or read a book online.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on March 18, 2009 7:49 AM
Religion is Being Redefined
I believe that faith -- or religion, or spirituality, or whatever one might call it -- will always be a part of the human condition. It will not disappear, but is being redefined and renewed to meet the needs of an emerging global society.
Posted by Kenneth E. Bowers, on March 17, 2009 9:01 PM
Fading Faith
America is indeed losing faith, and there are three principle reasons: extremism, science and social science.
Posted by David Wolpe, on March 17, 2009 2:40 PM
Faith, Fashion, and Fabric
Some observe that religious taste has become fashion--changeable according to the season or to the whims of personal taste. Others argue that lack of fashion sense is the problem, especially given the drab social garb preferred by many Protestant and Catholic denominations.
Posted by Mathew N. Schmalz, on March 17, 2009 12:23 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
Think2: Just because there has been a change in the poll numbers doesn't mean people have stopped their aspirations for "more". When people ask the...
ThomasBaum: One question asked is, "The new American Religious Identification Survey says fewer people are calling themselves Christians or identifying ...
GabrielRockman: Being a person of faith is one of the few minority groups for which it is acceptable to make derogatory comments. The insults thrown at peo...
